A fractious campaign for leadership of the French Centre Right ended last night with party members convinced that neither of the contenders was a match for their fallen idol, Nicolas Sarkozy.

François Fillon, 58, Mr Sarkozy’s former Prime Minister, and Jean-François Copé, 48, the Mayor of Meaux, outside Paris, were bidding to become chairman of the Union for a Popular Movement.

The post amounts to poll position in the race to challenge François Hollande, the unpopular Socialist head of State, in the 2017 presidential election. That prospect has fed a fierce battle, with both men trading insults and accusations of